Changed
by Green Giant Uranus
Summary: Four teens, all connected in different ways, whether it be friendship, love, or hate. But one night the tension rises to its breaking point, and everything the teens have ever known is blown out of the water. That night everything changed. Including them.
1. Absolutely Not

**Chapter 1: Absolutely Not**

* * *

"Absolutely not."

A girl with sapphire blue eyes glowered at the boy before her. He groaned loudly with his own exasperated look.

"And why not, May? Why do you have to do this every time? Is it really that hard to come have dinner with us?"

The girl, otherwise know as May, held up her scowl. She hated it when he brought this up. Why couldn't she go to dinner with him to meet his newest girlfriend? Maybe it was because May was rather fond of the boy in front of her and didn't exactly want to meet the girl who stole him from right under her nose. May had thought that when the last girl was out of the picture, she would have a clear shot with him. Yet here he was, starting yet another unwanted fight about meeting some new bozo who had caught his attention.

_'Why don't I catch your attention?' _she thought bitterly.

Now, they were only sophomores. This was just a dumb high school crush, wasn't it? But didn't she read somewhere that crushes that lasted for three months were actually love? Or was it four months? Either way, she liked him. A lot. But of course, she couldn't tell him that. So, she would have to come up with another reason why she didn't want to go to dinner with them.

"_Because,_ _Brendan,"_ she said dramatically, "Every time this happens, you and her make kissy faces at each other all night long and-"

"We do not make kissy faces all night-" Brendan interrupted her, but May made sure to return the favor.

"Oh, right! Silly me! I forgot about the excruciatingly awkward introductions and _then _comes the kissy faces! There is also the 'feeding each other' and the 'cheesy compliments' and I'm left there as the third wheel with nothing to do. It's weird! I don't like it."

'_Ha! That should show him! I just might get out of it this time!" _May thought triumphantly. She crossed her arms at him and drew up a smirk.

"Fine. Then bring a date of your own."

May's face fell. It had been a spur-of-the-moment-excuse, but Brendan soon realized there was logic behind it. If she felt like a third wheel, she should bring somebody for herself. Even if she didn't know the guy very well, they would have one thing in common: They were both third wheels. That would be a thrilling conversation starter! In a matter of seconds, Brendan had stolen the smirk right off of her face and put it on his own. May gave him a blank look with her arms still crossed.

'_Well, crap...'_

"You want me to bring my own date?" For some reason, her mind jumped to a song from her favorite musical, _Fiddler on the Roof._ The tune from _They Gave Each Other A Pledge_ started playing through her mind and she edited in her own lyrics while his smirk grew.

_You want me to bring a date? _

_Unheard of! Absurd!_

_You want me to bring a date?_

_Unthinkable!_

"Yeah. Why not?"

Why not? _Why not?_ Maybe it was because May Maple was extremely plain and boring! Maybe it was because May Maple was one of the biggest nerds in school! Maybe it was because May Maple was one of the most unattractive girl in the entire scho- _Oh, if that stupid smirk got any bigger, she swore she was going to-_

"Brendan, I'm going to answer your question with another question. How many boys do you know that would ever want to go out with me?" May spoke as calmly as she possibly could. He, of all people, would know that most guys just weren't into her.

"Oh, there are lots! There was even that one guy that-"

"Oh, come on, Brendan! Those were all fakers! You know that!"

"Fine, then. If you can't find one, I will find one for you!" May gave Brendan an incredulous look. He couldn't be serious. Brendan, her best friend and the guy she liked, was going to find her a date so she could go to dinner with him and his new girlfriend. It was insane. She continued to stare at him in a disbelieving way. He gazed back hopefully, although his smirk was still peeking out at her. May cursed in her mind. He knew. He knew that there was still no way she could say no to him.

"Fine. I will look for some guy to bring," she said exasperated while uncrossing her arms. "But if neither of us can find one, then I'm not going," she added firmly.

"Sounds good to me," Brendan smiled broadly. May couldn't help but feel a little giddy at that smile. Why did he have to look so cute when he was happy?

"Who is this chick, anyways?" The corners of Brendan's mouth twitched. May gave him a suspicious look.

"It's a surprise," he said, but his voice had an edge to it.

"So, I know her," May said it as a statement instead of a question. Brendan raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that?" May rolled her eyes. Wasn't it painfully obvious?

"Because, if it was someone I didn't know, there would be no point in a surprise. I wouldn't really know who they are, so if you told me who it was now, it wouldn't make any difference to me. So, who is it?" May explained. She had hoped her explanation would through Brendan off and he would answer the question, but it didn't help any.

"Like I said, it's a surprise," but something about the way he said that made May hope she would never find a date.

* * *

"Absolutely not."

"Hey, I'm just saying, Drew. She turns down every guy that asks her out. There's no way she would ever go out with you!" A blonde haired boy said to his best friend teasingly. His green haired friend, otherwise known as Drew, looked quite offended at this comment.

"How would you know? She probably has a photo of me under her pillow! I bet she kisses it every night before bed!" Drew laughed, gaining confidence the farther he went.

"Then, why don't you take the dare? Ask her out and see what happens," the blonde boy baited.

"No! She'll probably stalk me afterwards if she doesn't already. Besides, Zack, dares are just stupid ways to get stupid people to do stupid things."

"So, that's why you won't do it, Hayden? You're scared of her?"

"No! I'm not afraid of her! I just- Well, come on Zack! Let's be a little realistic here!" exclaimed Drew.

"Oh, I am being realistic here, Drew. There's no way you would ever be able to take May Maple out on a date," Zack taunted. Drew shook his head at Zack. Every girl in this school was practically begging for a date with him. Even if May ignored him most of the time, he was pretty sure that she secretly wanted him. Wouldn't any girl?

"Whatever, Zack," Drew rolled his eyes, turned, and started to walk away.

"Fine, then let's make this a bit more interesting. Instead of a dare, why don't we make it a bet?" Zack smirked as Drew stopped and turned his head a bit to look over his shoulder. '_Hook, line, and sinker...'_ Zack thought.

"How much are we talking about?" Drew asked reluctantly. He really hated stooping to the level of making bets over a girl, but considering his current circumstances...

"Fifty bucks." Drew turned completely around at this, obviously outraged. A tiny voice in the back of Drew's mind was telling him that he would lose. That May truly hated him, and would immediately reject him. The more Drew listened to it, the more he believed it. If the voice was right, Drew couldn't risk a fifty bucks.

"No way! That's too much! Make it twenty!"

"How about I meet you halfway at thirty-five?" Drew narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Sure, Zack could be a jerk sometimes and it drove Drew crazy, but he had never given a Drew a reason to distrust him.

"Fine. I'll ask her by her locker today," Drew agreed, shaking Zack's hand. Zack smiled back at him. He had always loved a good bet. It suddenly dawned on Drew. He was going to ask out May Maple, the girl he makes fun of almost every day. And he was doing it for thirty-five dollars. What had he done?

* * *

May was exchanging books out of her locker, deep in her own thoughts.

_'I wonder what we're going to do in English. We might start a new story. I hope it's a good one. That last one by Ray Bradbury was really good. What was it called again? Umm... _There Will Come Soft Rains! _It was interesting that he wrote it in 1950, but it is set in 2026. That's only about, 12 years away now. Wait, is it Friday?! We always do vocab on Friday..._

"Hey," a voice interrupted May's train of thought. May stopped fiddling with her books and looked around her locker door. There, leaning of the locker was Drew Hayden. She studied him for a minute before oh-so gracefully returning with her own greeting.

"What do _you_ want?" May blurted with a raised eyebrow. Drew was a bit taken aback by her blunt response, but rolled with it smoothly by providing his own blunt answer.

"I have come to ask you out on a date," Drew said in a tone that was almost noble, as if he was doing her a favor.

May's eyes widened. Drew expected her to laugh or blow up in his face and yell at him. He was half hoping she would smile and swoon and squeal with glee. The thought of that actually happening made him feel slightly sick, but it would mean that he had won the bet. What he did not expect her to do was to turn back to her locker and start shuffling around the books inside. Her eyes were still somewhat wide, but they were glazed over in even deeper thought than they had been a few moments ago.

"And why is that?" Drew was astonished to say the least. He asked her out on a date and, instead of answering, like any normal person would do, she was asking questions back at him.

"Well, b-because,... I like... You?" he stammered. It came out more of a question than a statement. He mentally kicked himself. She was going to think he was lying! Which he really was but that wasn't the reason he was stammering! He was stammering because she was giving him weird reactions! Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and Drew got the impression that she was trying very hard not to roll them.

"I know you like me. That much is obvious. I don't think you would ask me out if you hated me. Yet, you have always seemed to think I was nerd. You make fun of me on a regular basis. Which brings me back to my first question. Why are you asking me out? None of this really makes sense," May said slightly irritated.

Yet again Drew was nearly stunned beyond words. He was also panicking because she was on his trail. Not to mention that all of this deep thinking was making his head hurt. He took a moment to study her. Hopefully, he could come up with something. He noticed her shoulder-length brown hair. '_Well, it looks soft...'_

Drew mentally kicked himself again. That would be a _great _reason to date her! Oh, he could see it now!

_"Why do you want to go out with me?" _

_"Oh, just 'cause your hair looks soft. I was kinda hoping I would get to touch it and see..." _

Stupid, stupid, stupid. However, looking at her, Drew could honestly say that she was an attractive girl. No, her looks were not her problem. The reason so many guys didn't like her was because she was a goody-goody. A nerd. A know-it-all. Besides, since May was a smart girl and smart girls valued more than their appearance. He would have to appeal to her nerdiness... _'Eww...'_

"Well, you're really smart and pretty funny and you're not bad-looking either." Ok, so he could appeal to her beauty a bit...

May stopped fumbling around in her locker and turned to study him again. She pinched up her lips and tilted her head in concentration. For the slightest second, Drew thought that she looked quite cute when she did this. However, her next words snapped him out of that rather quickly.

"Well I guess I'll go... Here." she said as she tore out a piece of notebook paper and scribbled something on it. "Here's my phone number and my address. Pick me up at eight on Friday. I'm not sure where we are going yet, but I will find out." Then without another word, she strode off to her next class.

Drew couldn't believe it. He stared down at the paper in his hands._ 'I'm going on a date with May Maple,'_ he thought awestruck._ 'I'm going on a date with May Maple,'_ he thought horrified. _'I'm going on a date with May Maple,'_ he thought gleefully as he realized he had just made himself thirty-five dollars richer! _'Dang it! I should have taken the fifty dollars!' _he thought regretfully. But he didn't have time for a lot of regret. He pulled out his own phone, typed May's number in, and texted Zack.

_**'She said yes.'** _His phone buzzed a few seconds later.

**_'Really? Well I guess I stand corrected.'_**

**_'You can give me the money after school.'_**

**_'Hang on a minute! It's only Wednesday! A lot can happen between now and Friday! Let's see how long this holds out. If you actually go on the date with her I will give you the money afterwards.'_**

Drew was beyond annoyed now. He knew that Zack was just hoping that something would change and he ended up winning the bet. He probably thought that Drew would call off the date the moment he got a hold of the cash. But Drew would play along. He would hold out until Friday, and then he would be rewarded. If only Drew had known that come Friday night, he was going to get more than he bargained for.

* * *

May flung herself onto her bed. She still couldn't believe that it had been that easy. She had found somebody for Brendan's double date. One moment her and Brendan had been arguing and the next Drew had so graciously delivered himself to her on a silver platter. Mind you, she didn't like Drew Hayden in the least. He could jump off of a cliff for all she cared. However, May had a little revenge in mind.

If she was going to have to be even more awkward and uncomfortable than usual, she was going to make Brendan feel the same way. Or at least get on his nerves. Given Brendan and Drew's history, that wouldn't be hard. She dug around in her purse for her phone and sent Brendan a message.

**_'I found a date.'_ **Brendan replied quickly.

_**'Really? Who?'**_May was fairly annoyed at this. She knew that he would be shocked, but he didn't have to show it!

_**'Surprise.' **_

_**'Come on, May.'**_

_**'Only if you tell me your date.' **_

_**'No way.'**_

_**'They you will see on Friday.' **_

With that said and done, May shut off her phone and started on her homework.

* * *

**Hey, guys! So this idea has been driving me crazy lately, and I have really been wanting to put it down on paper! Or... um... screen? Anyways, I am super sorry to every body who was waiting for an update on my other stories, _Nonfiction and An Audience of Stars. _I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. I wish I could actually finish stories before I start others, but my brain is always moving. Sorry. **

**Anyways, I think this story has a lot of potential and I hope to be posting the next chapter sometime soon. I have quite a few ideas for this story, so bare with me! Please review, follow, and favorite! It means a lot! Until next time! - GGU**


	2. The Date

**Chapter 2: The Date**

* * *

Drew pulled up to the address that May had given him. He checked his hair in his rearview mirror one last time before climbing out of his car. Looking at his phone, he realized that he was about twenty minutes early. He studied the house in front of him. It was a small house in a decent neighborhood. For a second, he felt slightly jealous, but he pushed it away as he approached the door and knocked.

He knocked two times and before he could get the third knock out, it opened to reveal a boy with navy blue hair. He looked about thirteen and he had big-rimmed glasses. He looked Drew up and down, assessing him. Finally, he glared at Drew before saying, "So you're here to take my sister out, huh?"

"Uhh..."

"Well, you just listen to me! My dad had to work late tonight, otherwise he would be here right now, showing you his gun collection. Since he couldn't be here, he told me that I had to be the man of the house and that I had to give you this message for him. If you try anything funny with my sister tonight, Dad and I will make sure you don't live to see the next day. I watch a lot of crime shows. I know exactly how to erase all evidence from a crime scene and make your death look like an accident. And another thing-"

"Max!" A beautiful woman had come up behind the boy who Drew now knew as Max and gave him a scolding look. Max spun around and immediately feigned innocence.

"Yes, Mom?" He held his arms behind his back and looked up at her with bright eyes.

"That will be _all_, Max," the woman said testily. She was obviously Max and May's mother. Drew, still wide-eyed from Max's threats, turned towards Mrs. Maple as Max stalked off. Her firm look had disappeared with Max and she now had a kind smile on her face that gave Drew an unexplainable feeling of happiness, comfort, and security.

It was no wonder where May got her looks. Her mother's hair was just a few shades lighter than May's and they both had the same blue eyes. She looked as though she had been working in the kitchen because she was wearing an apron with splotches of food on it and her hands were covered with flour. She wiped her dirty hands on a clean spot on her apron.

"I'm really sorry if Max has caused you any trouble. He looks up to his father a little more than he should, in my opinion. Especially, since my husband just loves to fill his head with crazy, over-the-top ideas. I'm afraid that includes killing our daughter's date," she said the last part with an apologetic shrug. "Oh, where are my manners! I'm Caroline, May's mother, but I guess you already knew that," she said while sticking out her hand to shake.

With Caroline present, Drew recovered from his experience with Max quickly and he smiled back at her. A genuine smile, which was something Drew wouldn't give to just anybody.

"Drew Hayden. It's nice to meet you," Drew said fluidly.

"May's not quite ready yet. Why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable? Would you like anything?" she said leading him through the living room and into the kitchen. "I just made a pitcher of kool-aid. Max's favorite." She whispered the last part as if Max might be listening, and sure enough...

"I AM NOT SHARING MY KOOL-AID WITH HIM!" Max yelled from some unknown place in the house. Caroline giggled.

"Uh, no thanks, Mrs. Maple. That won't be necessary," Drew laughed as well. Once Caroline was sure that he didn't want anything to eat either, she went about with her cooking while Drew sat at the kitchen table. Drew had to admit that whatever she was fixing, it smelled awfully delicious. He almost wished that they were staying here to eat, but quickly thought against it when he remembered that Max would be at the meal too.

In all honesty, Drew was now jealous of May. He was jealous that she had such a wonderful family. Caroline was everything that a caring and kind mother should be. Sure, Max wasn't exactly what you would call "wonderful" when you first met him, but at least he cared about his sister enough to try to protect her. And Drew and yet to meet her father, but Caroline had said that Max looked up to him, so he had a good impression.

Mrs. Maple asked him questions like what he liked to do for fun. She seemed to be very interested in the fact that he played basketball, and mentioned that Drew must know May's friend Brendan. Drew admitted that he did, but quickly changed the subject because of the anger that suddenly rose in him.

Drew enjoyed Caroline's company, but he was growing impatient. What was taking May so long? He hadn't been _that _early. Finally, May came downstairs.

"How do I loo- Oh, Drew. You're already here," she said looking over at the clock as if she had lost track of time. "Well, we better get going," she said as she entered the living room. He had to admit she looked rather nice.

Drew followed her there. He noticed that Max was now sitting on the couch, holding a glass of kool-aid and sipping it through a crazy straw. He was watching NCIS and the light of the TV caused an ominous glare on his glasses that turned the lenses white. As Drew and May passed to walk out the door, Max raised his index and middle fingers to his eyes and then pointed them at Drew, giving the universal sign for, 'I'm watching you, punk.' Drew took this final warning into consideration as they climbed into his car.

"So, where are we going?" Drew asked.

"We are meeting Brendan at Pedro's, May answered, "but we better hurry. We are already going to be a bit late."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody said anything about _Birch_ being there!" Drew exclaimed outraged as he glanced angrily at May. He had to keep his eyes on the road. May, however, remained calm, staring out the window.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret that Brendan and I are friends. I thought that, _since you like me so much_, you would both be able to overcome your differences." There was a moment when panic rose in Drew because she has sounded quite sarcastic when she mentioned how much he liked her. Did she know that something was up? But this feeling of dread was soon drowned by his rage. Drew's grip on the steering wheel tightened. '_Oh, I _so _should have taken the fifty when I had the ch_ance...'

_"Fine," _Drew emphasized through clenched teeth. "Why is Birch coming anyways? Assurance that Daddy won't have to use his gun collection on me?" May finally stopped staring out of the window and looked at him suspiciously.

"How do you kno- You've been talking to Max, haven't you? Oh, I'm going to kill the little rat when I get home!"

_'Why bother with him? You can take out your anger and just kill me now. It would be better than going on this date...'_Drew thought. But, of course, he didn't say this to May. It wouldn't help his case if she dumped him before they even got to the restaurant.

"You didn't answer my question. Why is Birch going to be there?" Drew said in a calmer and notably less sarcastic tone. He felt that the direct approach might be more effective with her than the snarky approach.

"Well, it's not because of my dad. I have to meet his stupid girlfriend," she snapped, pouting slightly. Drew was about to respond, but at the moment they had just arrived at Pedro's Mexican Restaurant. May looked over at Drew as he pulled into a parking spot. She felt a twinge of guilt. Should she have really brought Drew? She knew that Brendan and Drew hated each other. Had she gone too far? '_Oh, well. It's too late now,' _she thought.

And just as soon as she had climbed out of the car, any glimmer of guilt that May had felt was swallowed by violent fury. In fact, May now felt that bringing Drew was the right choice after all. Brendan deserved a taste of his own medicine, because standing at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting rather impatiently, were Brendan and his new girlfriend, Brianna Roberts.

May was seething with resentment. She was thinking about marching right up to Brendan and slapping him across the face when she heard a small choking sound beside her. She expected to see Drew glaring at Brendan but he was gaping at Brianna instead. Oh, that's right. They had gone out for a short time.

'_Well, this night is going to be a calamity. Somebody call MTV,' _May thought bitterly. They walked up to the couple waiting for them. Brendan's mouth was scrunched up as if he was trying to keep himself from yelling and his eyes were wide, darting back and forth between May and Drew. Seeing this, May felt a great wave of satisfaction.

"May, you know Brianna," Brendan said though his teeth. Oh, did she ever. She glanced at Brianna, who waved feebly and looked away quickly, appearing quite uncomfortable.

"Drew, you know Brendan," May said back to Brendan. "And I believe that Drew and Brianna are already acquainted." There was an awful silence between the four. "Well, we all seem to know each other now." Still nobody moved or said anything. May was becoming even more frustrated. "Let's go eat now," she ordered, since all of them seemed to have turned into statues.

They entered and a waitress brought them to a table. She gave them drinks and took their order and left them to talk amongst themselves, which was something that all of them were dreading. After another dose of awkward silence, May noticed Brendan nudge Brianna. She had been staring intently at the ice cubes in her water, and seemed a bit startled when he did this. Looking at him questioningly he nodded his head at May. Brianna's eyes grew wide, as if pleading, but Brendan's expression hardened and Brianna's shoulder's heaved with an inaudible sigh.

"So, May, what kind of... TV shows are you interested in?" May mentally rolled her eyes. Of course Brendan would have rehearsed some stupid small-talk starter.

"Actually, I'm not really into anything of TV," May explained ever though she knew that Brendan knew she was crazy about "Modern Family" and always watched the new episodes. "What about you? Jersey Shore? Real Housewives of wherever?"

"Well, there is this one show I have gotten into lately. It's called "Unforgettable." It's about this woman who has this condition called hypothermia or something-" At this moment May muttered something under her breath. "Huh?" Brianna asked.

"I said that it's called hyperthymesia," May explained, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Whatever. Anyways-"

"No, no. Not whatever. You were talking about hyperthymesia, but you said hypothermia. If the women in the show had hypothermia, she would be stuck in a freezer," May explained with unmistakable irritation. "I wouldn't mind being stuck in a freezer myself, right now," she added quietly.

Drew was the only one who heard the last comment properly and had to take a drink to cover his smirk. Brendan, knowing that May had said something insulting even though he didn't hear it, stamped on her foot underneath the table. May shot a glare at him, but returned her attention to Brianna as she continued.

"Oh. Well, anyways, it means that she has a photogenic memory and-" Again May interrupted.

"It's photographic. You said photogenic, which means you look good in pictures," May explained, with unmistakable irritation. "Which seems to be the only thing going for you," May added quietly, so that only Drew heard again.

He had actually started to laugh out loud this time, but managed to hide it with a fake cough. Brendan had narrowed his eyes threateningly at May.

"May, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Oh, but Brendan, Brianna and I are in the middle of such a lovely conversation. Do you really have to interrupt the fun now?" May asked with a fake smile.

"Gee, afraid so, May. Don't worry, it will only take a minute," he said in an overly sweet tone that matched May's. They both strode away from the table and began to argue animatedly with each other. Drew chuckled.

This wasn't turning out as bad as he had thought. In fact, he found it extremely amusing that he got to watch his most-hated rival squirm while his ex said idiotic things and his annoying date said hilarious sarcastic comments. And all he had to do was sit back and watch. Plus, _he was getting paid. _

Suddenly, May started speed walking toward the door, leaving Brendan looking exasperated and the slightest bit guilty and apologetic. Not wanting to miss the action, Drew followed.

* * *

"Come on, May," Brendan pleaded the moment they were out of earshot.

"What? I was only correcting a few _honest _mistakes," asked May innocently. Brendan gave her a look that said, _'Cut the crap.' _

"Please, May, _please._ Couldn't you just cooperate for _once?_" Brendan resorted to begging but it didn't cause May to soften this time. People were starting to look, but neither May nor Brendan cared about them at the moment.

"Why should I? This is the worst one yet! I mean, really, Brendan? _Brianna flipping Roberts? _That's pretty low, even for you. After what she did to me? Do you even know her? Or did you take one look at her and think, '_Man, I'd tap that,' _like every other stereotypical, testosterone-crazed, jerk-faced guy out there?" May said in a strained voice. _'You want me to cut the crap? Consider the crap cut!' _May thought angrily. She also made a mental note to never say that out loud, as she had the feeling that was one of those things that sounded better in her head. Brendan had never looked more furious. Perhaps those comments had hit a little too close to home.

"Tell me, May, are you incapable of restraining yourself, or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

May wanted to yell. She wanted to scream at him and make him understand that she liked him and she couldn't take meeting all of these trivial girls. She wanted to slap him in the face and wrap her hands around his throat and kick him in a place the sun didn't shine. Instead she gave him a fake smile, that got the message of anger across but hid the pain.

"I'm done," and with that, May made for the exit. Brendan, who had only seemed to realize what he had said, tried to call her back.

"Ah, May! I didn't mean it! You know that!" he said as he followed her.

May stepped out of the door, only to find rain pouring from the starless night sky. There was a flash of lightning and an explosion of thunder rolled past seconds later. Had there even been clouds earlier?! Hearing Brendan's voice close behind her, she quickly decided that the rain was the better choice and walked over to Drew's car. She tugged on the door handle and cursed under her breath. Locked. Of course, it was locked.

May spun around to find all three of her 'double date buddies' walking toward her, Brendan being the closest. Ignoring him, she looked directly at Drew.

"Take me home," she ordered. She walked around to the other side of the car, hugging herself from the cold rain.

"Oh, no. He's not taking you home!" Brendan yelled. "We're not finished here!" Again, May ignored Brendan and looked expectantly at Drew. He shrugged, not knowing what to do.

"Fine. I'll walk home," May said. She crossed the parking lot and the street and started walking through the Montague Ciry Park with three other teenagers in tow. Just as she started to past the statue of Bartholomew P. Montague III, the founder of the town, Brendan caught up to her, grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"May! Look, I'm sorry I said that to you! But you have to admit that you never even gave her a chance!" Brendan shouted over the deafening rain. By now, they were all soaked to the bone.

"I didn't give a chance? Brendan, have you looked in the mirror lately? You're the one that has trouble giving chances!" she yelled over a particularly loud rumble of thunder.

"What are you even talking about?" May rolled her eyes and tried to escape his grip, but to no avail. Then, a voice off to the side sounded above the rain.

"Man, you two are messed up," Drew commented. May finally broke free from Brendan and marched up to Drew.

"Don't you get into this! This is none of your business! Oh! And by the way, I want half of your bet money on Monday morning. This instantly shut Drew up. He had been more surprised that she requested half the money than the fact that she knew. Yet, when he regained his voice, he asked the more obvious question.

"You knew?" he croaked.

"Of course I knew! You think you and your buddies were the first ones to make a bet over a date with me?! I'm not stupid!" Suddenly, Drew's face fell dark.

"You're not getting half the money," he stated firmly. No, he needed it. May was about to start arguing again, but a worried-looking Brianna butted in.

"Come on, guys! Can't we work something out or maybe-"

"Oh, shut up, Brianna," May snapped.

"Don't say that to her!" Brendan cut in. "May, just calm down!" May turned toward him once again.

"Calm down? Oh, I'll calm down. Once I'm home and away from you people," she spat. All three of the other people yelled back at May, each having their own reason for telling her off, but there was a great flash of lightning.

Everything seemed to stop. The shouting, the rain. There wasn't even a clap of thunder afterwards. The teens were frozen to the spot, yet they still had full consciousness. They couldn't move, but they were all aware of the supernatural situation that was occurring. Instead of disappearing, the lightning stayed exactly as it was, illuminating the entire sky. Everything was silent. You could feel the energy and heat in the air, despite the cold rain. It was as if they could feel each individual atom bouncing around at unimaginable speeds. The silence was now broken by an unbearable buzzing sound that grew much louder than the storm had been.

They couldn't take it. It was too much. The feeling of the atoms hitting them, the buzzing sound, and the bright light. It gave them all an immense headache. They knew that they would soon pass out from the pain.

Then, just as quickly as it all started, everything moved again. The rain continued to fall and the flash of lightning disappeared. There was even a clap of thunder that rolled over the empty Montague City Park.

* * *

**Whew! So, this is probably the longest thing I have ever written! Help! My fingers are cramping!  
Haha.  
**

**Challenge: In this chapter, Brendan says, "Tell me, May, are you incapable of restraining yourself, or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?" If you can tell me who said that line and what book they are from, the next chapter will be dedicated to you! That's right! The next chapter can be all yours! **

**Anyways, how was Chapter 2? Review and tell me what you think! Also, thank you so much to the people who reviewed, favorited, or followed! You guys rock! Until next time! - GGU  
**


	3. Realizations

**Chapter 3: Realizations**

* * *

Drew lay there with his eyes closed. He really didn't want to get up. He _really _didn't want to, but he had promised to meet up with Zack today to discuss the date. Or, as Drew liked to call it, Pay Day. It was then, that Drew realized that his room did not smell the same and his bed did not feel the same. He finally open his eyes to an unfamiliar room. Drew swore in his head.

This wasn't exactly the first time this had happened. He had had a few narrow escapes from girls' houses. No need to panic. As long as he was quiet and the exit was in an ideal place. Drew hopped out of the bed and was about to start hunting for his pants when he noticed he was fully clothed. In clothes that weren't his. This was new. He turned back towards the bed only to notice that there was no naked beauty sleeping contentedly. Okay. Now it was time to panic.

Last night. What had happened last night? There was the date... May had been snarky and hilarious... then she was angry. Well, she had been angry the whole time. She just didn't truly show it until- Well, that was beside the point! She stormed off... into the storm... they were at the park and... and then what? What had happened after the park? Why couldn't he remember?

Just then, something hung on the wall caught his eye. A picture of a handsome young man stared back at Drew. He had black bedraggled hair, shorter than Drew's, and ruby-red eyes that were wide with confusion. Did I mention that the picture was actually a mirror?

'_Oh. My. God.' _Drew thought. He stood there for only a few moments before his brain finally kicked in. After all, Drew was still the resourceful young man he had always been, despite the fact that he was in his archenemy's body.

'_Phone, phone, I need a phone!' _he thought while desperately looking for Brendan's cell phone. Finally spotting it, he snatched it off of the bed side table. Drew had had every intention to call himself, but, after a second thought, hesitated. Should he really call himself? Naturally, one would think that Brendan would be in Drew's body (Drew shuddered at the very thought of it), but what if he wasn't? What if Drew was crazy and hallucinating all of this? What if for some reason, Brendan was dead and Drew's soul had ended up in Brendan's body? Drew's body would be left without a soul, just the former shell of a man. Drew pushed these thoughts out of the way. He couldn't just sit here and worry over things. What he needed to do was stop being a baby and just find out. Without any more delay, Drew dialed his number.

It rang three, four, five times and went to his voicemail. '_No, I just have to try again. Maybe he wasn't near the phone...' _Drew thought hysterically. He dialed again. Three rings, four, then a click and a groggy groan.

_"Hello?"_

* * *

Brianna had had better wake up calls. There were plenty of times when her cat would enter her room, meowing noisily and jump on her bed, searching for attention. Brianna would usually roll over and ignore her until her cat attacked her toes from under the blankets.

Sometimes, instead of the family cat, it would be the family dog. Not so bad right? Well, just imagine a 110 pound Great Pyrenees leaping on top on you when you had been peacefully sleeping. He was super sweet and loved to cuddle. The only problem was that he just didn't know his own size and strength.

There was even that time that her whole family had woken her up with a surprise birthday breakfast. However, no wake up call had ever been as alarming as this. Ice cold water splashed on her face. She gasped and sat up. She rubbed her eyes trying to expel any water from them. However, her eyes weren't wet. In fact, her entire face was completely dry. But she was sure that she had felt an icy blast to her face just a moment ago... Brianna heard a muffled laugh.

She looked up to see a kid with navy blue hair and thick-rimmed glasses, holding an empty cup. She could feel the cold water pooling around her legs now. Great. Now she would have to clean the sheets. And who was this mystery kid who had thrown the water onto her? Brianna glared at him furiously. The boy cackled.

"I found a new way to wake you up, May! Marbles in the freezer! Who knew?" He explained. Then, he ran away like his life depended on it. Which it probably did. Well, it would have anyways, if Brianna was a violent person. But she wasn't that kind of girl. If she was going to get revenge on someone, it would be with psychological warfare.

Plus, she was too stunned to even chase after him. Why was this kid in her house? She looked down and realized that he was right. It had not been water that she had felt before, but very, very cold marbles, that he had, apparently, kept in the freezer especially for her. So, why had he woken her in such a way? And had he called her May? What time was it? Brianna found a clock beside the bed. 7:38. Satisfied that she could answer at least one question, she decided to investigate further.

But as she looked around, she saw that this was, indeed, not her house. Scrambling out of the covers, she ran over to the window, only to see a street and neighboring houses that she had never seen before.

"May! Breakfast is ready if you're up!" came a melodic voice. Brianna crept up to the door as if it were a bear trap. Was this all a joke? Outside was a hallway that led to a set of stairs. She walked down the stairs and quickly located the kitchen.

Inside was a beautiful woman who danced around the kitchen, frying eggs, toasting bread, and drizzling syrup on pancakes that she had made. Sitting at the table was a fierce looking man with navy hair and brown eyes. He read the newspaper and sipped coffee, which was most likely black. Sitting next to him was the boy from before. When he caught sight of Brianna, his eyes widened and he ducked under the table with the same mischievous smile as before. When she only stared at the spot that he had once been, he hesitantly reemerged looking puzzled and disgruntled. He began eating the pancakes that the woman had set out for him. If they had been dressed in 1950's clothes and standing in a retro kitchen, it would have looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

"Good morning, May. You're up early," The woman said placing a plate of pancakes in front of an empty seat. Brianna assumed it was for her, and realizing that she was actually very hungry, sat down and began eating it. The man finally put down his newspaper and gave her a firm look that made Brianna freeze mid-chew.

"So," he began, "how was last night?" Last night? What _was _last night?_  
_

"Uhhh..." Brianna drawled through a mouth of pancakes. She noticed the boy eying her intently. He seemed just as interested in her answer as the man did. When she didn't offer any other intelligent response, the man prompted her annoyed. "Did that Drew kid try anything?" he said rather darkly. Oh, right. _'The date. The date!', _Brianna mentally panicked. She swallowed her bite.

"Um, no, no. Everything was fine," Brianna finally managed. She held her breath. He studied her for a moment, making sure that she wasn't fibbing. Then he shifted his gaze back to his morning paper. Brianna let out the breath she had been holding as a relieved sigh and quickly finished her pancakes. She decided to go back upstairs and think. She had to get to the bottom of this.

Just then, she passed a mirror in the hallway and stopped dead in her tracks. _'Holy crap. I really am May,"_ Brianna thought. Then, as gracefully as any woman ever could, Brianna passed out.

* * *

May was almost dreaming. Almost. It was that bizarre state of mind in which you were almost dreaming, but there was nothing to see. You were aware you were sleeping, but there was only darkness. And May hated it. If she was going to be consciously asleep, she might as well have a vivid dream to fill it in. Then, she heard something. _'Finally,'_ May thought, thinking that a dream was finally starting. The darkness faded, but instead of exploding into a subconscious hallucination, she woke up. May grumbled and tried to go back to sleep, but the nuisance of a noise continued, stopped for a moment, and restarted.

Deciding that it wasn't going away anytime soon, May rolled over, groaned, and answered the ringing phone.

"Hello?" She lay on her side, placing the phone on her ear so she could use her hands to cuddle up to the blanket. She closed her eyes once again, waiting for someone to speak back. Honestly, she hoped that they didn't. If they didn't reply, she could go back to sleep.

"Birch? Is... I-Is that you?" came Brendan's trembling voice.

"Brendan? Why are you calling this early? It's," May looked at the alarm clock on the bed side table, "It's 8:05! You know I sleep in on Saturday!" May grumbled. Her vision was blurred and she had not even noticed that Brendan had asked for Birch. Or that her voice had become undeniably lower. In fact, the only thing she had noticed, was that Brendan had beat Max at waking her up. Max was notorious for waking her up extra early on Saturday mornings. It was usually basic sleep-banishing methods, but every once in a while he liked to get creative. There was a long pause from the other line and May was about to hang up when Brendan spoke again.

"Who... Who am I talking to exactly?" Brendan questioned cautiously, as if his words were walking on thin ice and any moment they would crash and drown in the freezing water. May had just about had it with Brendan. Why had he called her so early? Why was he acting so strangely?

"Um, it's May. You're the one that called me, remember?" May said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which, to her, it was. There was a ragged breath from the other line. Apparently, it had not been that obvious to Brendan.

"Have you... looked in a mirror this morning, May?" He asked shakily.

"No. Why?" May was becoming more awake as the conversation continued, especially because of Brendan's peculiar behavior. Unfortunately for Brendan, her head had just cleared away the fog of sleep and found the memory of last night. She grabbed the phone with her hand and sat up in bed, staring down at her lap angrily. "Hey! Why am I even talking to you! I'm still mad at you!" May was just about to hang up, when she heard the boy's frightened call. Something about the fear in his voice made her stop.

"No! Please don't hang up!" May paused and then slowly raised the phone back to her ear.

"Alright. I'm listening. You have ten seconds to tell me why I should ever talk to you again," May growled menacingly. Brendan let out a relieved sigh, but didn't dwell too long. He only had ten seconds, after all.

"Well, I'm... I'm not exactly Brendan... At least, not all of me is Brendan..." May rolled her eyes. What was he playing at?

"How are you only part Brendan? You either are Brendan or you aren't. There isn't an in between," May drawled logically. She had shifted into her know-it-all mode.

"There is an in between, actually. It's... It's Drew," he said slowly, as if he didn't quite understand it either. "That is- I am. I'm Drew. In Brendan's body," May stared at her lap for a long time. She didn't say anything, and he didn't say anything. Drew hoped that she had realized that she was in his body, but his hopes were soon shot out of the sky.

"Brendan, it's a little early in life to be having an identity crisis, and, heaven knows, it's too early in the morning. I am going to hang up now, but I give you my sympathies and hope you find help soon. I would suggest a professional psychologist, but I'm sure you will using Brianna, which, in my opinion, is like the blind leading the blind. Best of luck to you. Goodbye," May announced as she climbed out of bed. Once she was standing up, she rocked back and forth on her feet. Something felt different. Just then, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Before she could hang up, she let out a strangled yell, but quickly extinguished it when she heard how deep her voice was. Drew was about to speak again, but May had just dropped the phone and was yelling at the top of her lungs. If this was a dream, she was starting to like that place in between the awaken world and dreaming.

* * *

Now, unlike the rest of them, Brendan knew something was wrong from the moment he opened his eyes. He could just feel it. His bed didn't feel the same. His clothes didn't feel the same. Even his body didn't feel the same. Something was definitely up. Looking down towards his feet, he received the shock of his life.

_'Oh my gosh. I have boobs.' _was the first thing that popped in his head. He could just imagine May scoffing at this. Was that really the only thing he could think about right now? The imaginary May in his mind was right. This wasn't about the boobs. It was about... Well, he wasn't quite sure yet, but he was going to find out.

Looking around, he actually recognized where he was. It was Brianna's room. He had been here a couple of times when they hung out. Her parents usually didn't let them close the door, but there were nights when they went out, and Brendan would sneak over. Don't get him wrong. They hadn't done anything but make out, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to take it any further yet.

This was a gut feeling that Brendan was quite frustrated with, actually. What kind of a guy was he? He truly didn't want to have sex with this gorgeous girl that was probably out of his league. If anyone at school found out, he would be the laughing stock. The prude. The wimp. Everyone would make fun of him.

_'Like the way they make fun of May?' _a small voice in his head asked accusingly. He was flooded by guilt. She took verbal beatings everyday. Sometimes he stood up for her. Sometimes he was just so tired of people, he didn't bother. _'The way they treat her isn't right, but she doesn't exactly help her case.' _this was what he told himself on the days that didn't defend her. It's not like he could stop them from disliking her anyways. This was terrible reasoning and Brendan knew it.

He cared for May more than almost anything. Even though he liked Brianna very much and he had never felt like this about anyone in his life, he and May had history. So why couldn't he just stand up for her all the time? Why did it seem like such a hassle to defend her? What kind of a friend was he? A crappy one, that was for sure. But he was getting off subject.

By now, he had figured out what was going on. He was taking in surprisingly well. Better than he thought he would anyways. He needed help though. He needed to call someone. Brendan found Brianna's phone hooked up to the charger in the outlet that it was always in. He swiped to the side but instead of opening up to the home screen, a number pad showed up.

_'Crap. I forgot that she had a pass code on her phone,'_ Brendan thought regretfully, since he didn't now the code. He eyed the phone as if asking it for ideas. He noticed the Emergency button in the corner of the screen. He could call the police or something. He actually snorted out loud at how preposterous this idea was. He could see it now.

_'Nine-one-one. What's your emergency?' _

_'Uh, yes, well, yesterday, I was a dude, and today, I woke up with boobs.' _

It might as well have gone like this:

_'Nine-one-one. What's you emergence?'_

_'Yes, I'm afraid I have gone insane. Could you please contact the nice men in the white coats to come and take me to the Happy Hospital?' _

Brendan swore. What was he going to do?

* * *

**Hey! So, here is the third chapter to Changed! I hoped you liked it! It is dedicated to _jtibb64. _You were correct! That quote was said by Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series! If you want to get really specific, I believe it was said in the third book. Anyways, congrats!**

**So, what did you think? I know this was kinda a filler chapter, but it revealed just a bit about personalities, which are probably way, _way _OOC, but who cares?! If you do, make sure to review! Or you can follow or favorite as well! With just a click of a button, you could really make my day! **

**Until next time! - GGU**


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